A car drives past one of the signs informing people about the new recreation passport at the entrance to Grand Haven State Park Tuesday May 24, 2011. (Darren Breen | The Grand Rapids Press) The Grand Rapids Press

Michigan drivers would see the recreation passport fee for state parks automatically added to their annual registration bill under legislation that passed the Senate Thursday.

Drivers could still opt out of the fee under Senate Bill 1258, which passed the Senate 28-9. But instead of the current system where motorists opt in for cheaper access to Michigan’s state parks, those who didn’t want the pass would have to elect to waive the fee.

A recreation passport costs $11 for vehicles and $6 for motorcycles each year when a license plate is renewed through the Secretary of State and allows parking at Michigan state parks and campgrounds. Without it, it costs $16 to park vehicles and $11 to park motorcycles upon entry to a state park.

It’s unclear exactly how much additional money the shift would bring in. According to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency, the recreation passport had a 33 percent participation rate and brought in slightly more than $29 million in fiscal year 2016-17. Had the participation rate been 50 percent over that time period, the agency estimated the passport would have generated $43,974,500.

The majority of funds raised through the recreation passports go towards state park improvement, operations and maintenance, although some of the money also goes to local public recreation facilities, forest recreation and other expenses related to the upkeep of natural resources.

Another bill passed by the Senate Thursday, SB 1259, would shift additional money towards local public recreation facilities. The Senate Fiscal Agency estimates the change would shift about $750,000 a year from state parks towards grants to local governments based on recent recreation passport participation levels.

The bills were introduced by Republican Sen. Goeff Hansen and require approval from the Michigan House and Gov. Rick Snyder before they can become law.